Mat-Su fishing and ice

I noticed on a Facebook post that one or more ice skaters had fallen through the ice on Knik Lake and were helped out by construction workers working at Knik Bar. The bar’s new owner, Doug Massie, said on the news that access to Knik Lake from the bar parking lot will be closed until further notice when the ice has thickened enough to safely support access.

There have been several deaths over the years when people ventured out onto thin ice early in the winter. Remember that until recently this has been a much warmer fall than usual, so expect ice to be marginal at best — and especially in the Palmer / Wasilla Core Area where temperatures tend to be a bit warmer.

Unfortunately, it is somewhat of a normal happening for people (sometimes with snowmobiles or vehicles) to break through thin ice in the Mat-Su Valley in late October through November. After warning about thin ice for several years now at this time of year I was thinking perhaps this year I might not cover the subject. Change of plan.

I know some people have already been venturing out onto lake ice, without incident is specific locations. That would not be me, and will likely not be me for at least another week or more. I especially would avoid ice near moving water (inlets or outlets to a lake). Rivers or streams that may have layer of ice covering them would be definitely off my travel list at this time.

Preparing for Ice FIshing

I stopped by 3 Rivers Fly and Tackle in Wasilla on Tuesday and Talked with Saul who was busy building some ice fishing rods for people interested in fishing Lake Louise for large lake trout. I talked with another person who was up to Lake Louise amore than a week ago and said the bid lake was still ice free at that time — big lakes tend to store more heat and can take longer to form a solid ice layer on top. Saul mentioned that people had been checking on the ice at Big Lake north of Wasilla, but he specifically did not mention good ice conditions yet. Big Lake is one of the locations where lives have been lost early in the season. We’re getting some colder weather and have had some snow on the ground for a few days already. It is only getting toward mid-November, so there should be plenty of winter left for getting out and fishing or recreating on ice covered water bodies after the ice has built up some thickness. While 4 inches of ice may support a few ice people ice fishing, 6 inches will do even better. If a person plans to avoid going out on the ice until they can measure 6 inches of depth near shore, then there will more likely be sufficient ice cover all over the lake — although a person should always be observant and cautious when venturing out on ice.

As I mentioned, Saul was building some ice fishing rods for sale, and the tackle shop had somewhat of a preseason sale on electric ice augers. Infact, they had already sold all but one of their inventory when I was in there on Tuesday. Now would be a good time to take stock of other ice fishing items a person might need to break out before fishing. I usually have a sled to tow gear out on the ice, and auger and ice scoop for clearing ice shaving out of the hole, some light ice fishing rods and reels that I usually store in a 5 gallon plastic bucket, some small hooks, single salmon eggs for bait, and usually a plastic bag to store / transport any fish that are kept. Some people also have tents and portable heaters — while I opt for cold weather clothing including a warm hat, winter boots, mittens, and usually multiple layers of clothes to protect my body core.

Once I start ice fishing for the winter, I often store most of these items in or near my sled in the back of the garage, where it is readily available for the remainder of the winter — anytime I or someone else may want to go ice fishing. Most of my trips are relatively short in duration — 4 hours or less on a lake. Even if fishing is good, that is often long enough to have an enjoyable trip. Other times the fish are not biting so much, but 4 hours gives me plenty of time to move and try several spots searching for fish — or fish that may be more in the mood to bite.

For some people the chance to catch a big fish through the ice is what gets them excited about ice fishing. Big fish , however, then to be less abundant and may take a considerable more effort, fishing time, and or travel time to catch. I am more into targeting smaller stocked fish that provide more consistent action. Most of the time, when ice fishing, I would rather catch 10 fish of about a foot in length than one or two fish over 20 inches in length. Even while fishing areas where I am primarily catching smaller fish, however, I’ve still caught some larger Arctic char and rainbow trout over 20 inches, and they can definitely provide and exciting fight on a light ice fishing rod,

Thanksgiving time is only a short time away now — the approximate time I plan to get out on Mat-Su lakes ice fishing, and also one of the more consistent times for the catches of larger fish that I have made. Solid ice and safe successful ice fishing trips should be here before long!

Good Luck and FIsh On!